BOOM!
The Azure Cable collided with the lightning. Compressed wind elements erupted on impact β a storm of cutting gales, like wind blades made flesh. The cultist standing beside Zhou Xian was sliced into several pieces on the spot.
But Su Chen was only a 2nd-tier professional. The searing bolt of lightning followed through, slamming into him head-on. It felt like being rammed by a truck β the sheer force sending him hurtling backward.
Yet Zhou Xian's face contorted in disbelief. The man who'd just taken his full-powered strike didn't crash to the ground. Instead, he rode the recoil like a leaf on the wind, rocketing far into the distance.
In the blink of an eye β gone without a trace.
'The man... escaped?!'
............
"One small operation and there's already a leak. It really is time for a thorough purge."
In the council chamber, Xia Hanshi's slight frame occupied the head seat. Zhang Hongbo sat to his right; Yang Yan and his retinue to the left.
Zhang Hongbo felt cold sweat beading his forehead. "The leak came at the very last moment. It doesn't necessarily mean we have an internal problem."
"Even if there's a mole, it's low-ranking. We'll root them out quickly."
Yang Yan offered some soothing context. "It was still a safe house. Nanfeng City's recent efforts weren't wasted."
"A handful of nobodies β killing more of them won't change anything. Unless you dig out the roots, they'll sprout again." Xia Hanshi's tone was sharp, though he didn't press the attack.
Yang Yan covertly glanced at Zhang Hongbo. Going by Elder Xia's habits, he'd almost certainly already done a walkabout through Nanfeng City.
Whether Zhang Hongbo acted out of genuine compassion or simply followed Yingfeng's directives, the refugees of Nanfeng City were treated reasonably well.
The City Lord probably didn't even realize that those refugees had done him an enormous favor.
Yang Yan remembered the last city. That particular City Lord hadn't spared a thought for his refugees.
Within days of Elder Xia's arrival, he'd fabricated some pretext and shattered both of the man's legs.
"What's Yuan Chenyang like?" Xia Hanshi asked abruptly.
Zhang Hongbo was startled. After a moment's thought, he answered honestly, "Brash at times, but diligent and conscientious."
"Brash?" A glint flashed in Xia Hanshi's eyes. "Then how did someone brash think to plant his own student as an operative?"
Zhang Hongbo was puzzled but explained, "His impulsiveness is temperamental. He's still capable of quick thinking when it counts."
He had doubts about this himself, but he wasn't about to undermine Yuan Chenyang.
'Where did that top-tier profession really come from...' Xia Hanshi felt a stir of frustration. These people all spoke in half-truths. He wanted to rip their heads off.
"What about his student?" Xia Hanshi asked casually.
Zhang Hongbo paused. Something seemed to occur to him, and he replied with careful neutrality, "You mean Su Chen? Mm, quite promising. Brilliant Silver physical talent. He's young, though β won't be heading to Yingfeng until next year."
'Su Chen? That was one of the names on the Scholar borrowing log.'
Xia Hanshi's smile was enigmatic. "Yuan Chenyang didn't fight you for him?"
"Your perception is sharp as ever." Zhang Hongbo smiled wryly.
Xia Hanshi let it go. Yang Yan kept his head down, marveling internally.
None of these City Lords were easy marks. Zhang Hongbo had omitted one critically important detail β Su Chen's refugee status.
Elder Xia himself had been a refugee. If he learned Su Chen's origins and felt moved to take him under his wing, he might rescind Zhang Hengyu's opportunity to go to Yingfeng.
Even without knowing Elder Xia well, Zhang Hongbo had instinctively sidestepped that landmine.
It probably hadn't occurred to Elder Xia that Yuan Chenyang would also take a refugee as his student.
As for whether Yang Yan himself should bring it up β he considered it for a moment. Both candidates were Brilliant Silver. Who went to Yingfeng first made no difference to him. No point antagonizing Zhang Hongbo.
"Investigate thoroughly. The waters beneath Nanfeng City run deeper than I expected." Xia Hanshi's tone was somber. "Something big lurks below the surface. I can't tell what brought it here."
'What does he mean?'
Zhang Hongbo and Yang Yan exchanged glances, uncertainty in their eyes.
......
"The holy relic is gone..." The Priest's voice was hollow. Zhou Xian, standing before him, felt his scalp crawl. "Your man confirmed he was clean. That's the only reason I lowered my guard."
"Every follower there is dead. Your word is all that's left." The Priest's obsidian pupils bore into him.
Zhou Xian's fury spiked, but he kept his voice hard. "That's the truth. How do I make you believe me?"
"Embrace our Lord." The Priest spoke four words.
Zhou Xian refused immediately. "We had an agreement."
The Priest rose abruptly. Zhou Xian tensed β then the Priest's head snapped toward a specific direction, his expression twisting. "Our Lord's aura has vanished!"
"What does that mean?" Zhou Xian asked.
"The holy relic has been emptied." The Priest's brow locked. "The same thing as last time."
Zhou Xian went rigid. His expression shifted rapidly. Yuan Chenyang was still at the Ruins garrison. It wasn't him.
Then who? Someone connected to Qi Chuan's death...
A figure surfaced unbidden in his mind. 'Could it be... Su Chen?'
Yes β the silhouette at the mouth of that alley had seemed familiar. Thinking back, it did resemble Su Chen.
'Someone who can impersonate our Lord's followers β could it be a Faceless Ghost cultist?' The Priest turned the thought over. His expression warped. "There's another Evil God faction operating in Nanfeng City. They dare devour our Lord's power? They're asking for death!"
Zhou Xian jolted, fury and alarm colliding.
So the Priest had already suspected a target, and had never truly believed him β the demands to convert had been nothing but coercion.
But Zhou Xian had snagged a different piece of critical intelligence: Su Chen might be an Evil God cultist too.
No wonder a refugee had risen this fast. If he served an Evil God, everything made sense.
"Could the one who acted tonight be the 'exquisite soul'?" he probed.
"Impossible." The Priest's answer was absolute. "Evil God cultists are impure. Our Lord would never call one exquisite."
'Not Su Chen, then...' Zhou Xian felt a pang of disappointment. But his mind was already churning. "Still β perhaps I can use this. At the very least, it'll help determine whether Yuan Chenyang is the 'exquisite soul.'"
......
"Cough... cough..." Su Chen sealed the window. His head still swam, and the taste of blood lingered in his mouth. A gravely wounded 3rd-tier professional was still far beyond what he could handle lightly.
"Thank the heavens for this armor. Without it, he'd have killed me on the spot." Su Chen pulled his shirt aside. Several of the azure scales pressed flat against his skin had been dented inward. They burned.
"At least I didn't take that hit for nothing." Su Chen gazed at the Low-Tier Evil God Power entry on his panel.
On the way back, he'd quietly drained the power from the Artifact, making sure no one at the Supervision Department could detect it.
"Perfect timing β the Mystic Scholar is almost ready for advancement." Su Chen considered for a moment, then fed the freshly harvested prize to the Mystic Scholar.
[The Mystic Scholar, influenced by Evil God Power, develops an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Acquire one additional mental-type 2nd-tier upper-tier profession to elevate it to a top-tier profession.]